


A Love to Protect

by orphan_account



Series: A Love to Protect (And More) [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Eventual Smut, F/F, Femslash, Lesbian Character, Non-Graphic Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-24
Updated: 2017-02-14
Packaged: 2018-09-19 14:22:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9445211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Charlie Porter has lived her whole life wishing she could make a connection with an omega or beta. It certainly wasn't easy having to see her best friend be happy with her mate, leaving Charlie longing for someone she could love and protect. Everything changes the night she helps Mackenzie Harkins, the most beautiful omega Charlie had ever laid eyes on. Charlie will do whatever she has to to win this omega over, even with an overprotective sister breathing down her neck.





	1. The Off-Limits Omega

**Author's Note:**

> You can follow me on tumblr:   
> catstealers.tumblr.com (personal)  
> or   
> cats-abo.tumblr.com (fanfiction only)  
> If y'all want to ask me any questions about this fic, please send them to the fanfiction blog.   
> If y'all want to be friends, come talk to me on my personal account!

Charlie hated parties; loud music, the inescapable smell of sweaty bodies and pheromones, and worst of all, drunk alpha fights. They had only been back at school for a little over two months but Charlie’s house was known as ‘Party House’ for a reason. For three years now Charlie had lived in this house for Alpha basketball players, male and female, only. Freshman Charlie thought it would be a good idea to live with her teammates to form lasting bonds and as she stared her reflection down in one of the shared bathrooms, mirror shaking from the bass coming from the living room, she knew she had made a mistake two years ago.

Charlie checked her outfit one more time before leaving the bathroom for good. She had to at least make a small appearance. She had been the one to score the three point buzzer beater, after all, so people probably wanted to congratulate her.

“What the hell are you wearing?”

Charlie would recognize that voice anywhere. She turned to see her best friend Nicole who wasn’t hiding her disgust at Charlie’s chosen outfit at all. Charlie looked down at her team sweat suit and shrugged. “I’m only going to say hi to a few people and then go to bed anyway. Why get dressed up if I’m only staying for a short bit, y’know?” Before Nicole could disagree, Charlie wanted to embarrass her friend a little. “I don’t even understand why you dressed up since your big bad alpha will probably be taking you back to her room to undress you anyway.” Charlie finished her joke with a light shrug, feigning nonchalance. Just as she had expected, Nicole’s pale face turned red as a tomato. Charlie laughed softly as the omega stuttered through an attempt at an explanation.

While waiting for Nicole to calm down enough to work through her stutter, Charlie really took a moment to look at her friend’s outfit. Nicole was always dressed well and tonight was no different. Her friend was wearing a pair of pastel pink shorts that stopped just above the knee, a white button up short sleeved shirt, and dark brown boat shoes. Most people liked to joke that Nicole dressed like a preppy white boy. She was often mistaken for one because of her short bleached hair which was always perfectly coifed. Her friend never really dressed like a stereotypical omega and her alpha, Jade, never really dressed like a stereotypical alpha. They complimented each other well. Charlie pretended not to be, but she was pretty jealous of their relationship. Not because she wanted that with Nicole, far from it. Charlie just never met an omega or beta she clicked with and at this point she was starting to accept she wouldn’t find a mate. She knew she was being dramatic but that’s what it felt like seeing so many mated pairs around her every day.

Once it sounded as though Nicole had stopped stuttering, Charlie smiled at her friend. “Sorry, bad joke,” the alpha replied with a wide grin. The omega just rolled her eyes, trying her hardest not to smile back. Charlie’s smile was beautiful, though, Nicole had always thought so. Charlie just had this way of making a whole room perk up with just a simple smile, her hazel eyes bright and shining.

“Well, I’m going to look for Jade. It’s been ten whole minutes since I last saw her,” Nicole joked with a grin. “Please do try and have some fun tonight. This party is _basically_ for you.”

“Fine, I guess I’ll try and have some fun. But just for you. Don’t say I never do anything for you!” Charlie yelled as she watched her friend walk away shaking her head.

 

* * *

 

 

The party wasn’t actually that terrible; Charlie had certainly been to worse. All parties so far this semester had just been the men’s and women’s basketball teams and the players’ mates, but apparently someone had invited the men’s soccer team to this party. They were obnoxious guys, but not too bad so far. Nothing was broken at least.

Charlie had played a few rounds of beer pong with some of the soccer team after they complained she needed to warm up and get some drinks in her. That kind of backfired when everyone remembered Charlie was the starting shooting guard on the team. Just like on the court, she hardly missed any shots on the table. She was definitely warmed up now, laughing and talking with everyone around her.

Jade and Nicole even made an appearance in the kitchen, hanging out with Charlie for a little bit before leaving again. Charlie had a pretty good guess as to where they were going and apparently the soccer player that made obscene noises as they walked away also had an idea. The group went completely quiet, knowing what was about to come. Jade turned with a snarl, her eyes filled with enough anger to make a chill go down Charlie’s spine. She knew Jade’s wrath wasn’t about to be directed at her, but she was terrified nonetheless. A brief scan of the kitchen proved they all were terrified. Nicole stood behind Jade, feeling bad for the idiot that provoked her mate.

Jade probably didn’t know who had made the noise at first, but it became increasingly obvious as people in the kitchen began sneaking glances at the guy on the other side of the kitchen. In a flash Jade was on him, his backed pressed up against the wall and her hands in the collar of his shirt. Jade jerked her arms once, forcing him to hit his head against the wall. The thud was loud, Charlie almost felt bad for him. But then he opened his mouth.

“What the fuck is your problem, bitch?”

Another mistake which led to another loud thud.

And then another.

Before Jade could smash his head in the wall again, two arms wrapped around her waist, effectively stopping her. A soft purr like rumble could be heard as Nicole released some soothing pheromones, calming the alpha down quickly.

“You’re lucky she was here,” Jade whispered to the soccer player she had just let go of. She watched him slip to the ground and turned to wrap her arms around Nicole, kissing her head. “I’m sorry, my love,” was softly whispered into the omega’s blonde hair. Time seemed to stand still as she watched her friend with her mate. She shifted her eyes to the alpha on the floor, his eyes half opened. A majority of the people in the room were afraid, which they had every right to be. Jade was terrifying, even as she walked off to her room, dropping little pecks onto Nicole’s head every few steps. Normally Charlie would be just as afraid. It was no secret Jade hated her, though she never knew why. All she felt right now, though, was longing. She wanted someone in her life to protect like this.

 

* * *

 

 

People quickly dispersed from the kitchen after the completely one-sided fight had ended. Charlie had moved with many others over to the living room, trying to get back in the party mood. A few betas from the soccer team asked her to dance with them which she begrudgingly agreed to. Dancing was in no way something Charlie was good at. She just simply lacked any sort of rhythm. She was surprisingly having fun dancing with the group, though, once she just let go. One of the betas, a boy with short sandy brown hair, danced up against her, a flirtatious smile on his face. He was cute so Charlie entertained his advances for a bit. Once he started getting a little too handsy, Charlie politely excused herself form the group to go to the bathroom.

As she turned the corner to use the private bathroom she shared with a few of her housemates she saw a couple leaning up against the wall. Charlie dreaded the idea of having to walk anywhere near them to get to the bathroom, but this was the only bathroom with her pre-sleep rituals. With a huff, she ventured further down the hallway trying hard not to look at the couple. From afar she could see the guy was tall and fit, muscles clearly defined through his shirt. She seemed small compared to him with long curly brown hair and soft olive skin. She couldn’t help but look up when she heard a pained whimper from the girl against the wall.

Once their eyes met, she recognized the girl immediately. Mackenzie Harkins, Jade’s omega sister. One Harkins sister already hated her, she wasn’t about to get on the omega’s bad side as well. Just as she was about to break eye contact she saw Mackenzie’s mouth moving, but she was speaking too softly to hear what was said. Thankfully, the alpha pinning her to the wall wasn’t quiet at all. “If you already have an alpha courting you then where are they right now?” He asked, sounding pretty smug catching her in what he assumed was a lie. Charlie was pretty sure Mackenzie didn’t have a mate or anyone courting her since Jade made sure to let everyone know her baby sister was off limits forever to any alpha, but it was entirely possible that the young omega had been seeing someone in private.

This wasn’t any of her business. She had to keep reminding herself that. She was really going to leave this time, but the omega was still maintaining eye contact. Something in her eyes pleaded Charlie to stay and after a few seconds Charlie found herself speaking up. “Rousso, what are you doing pressed up on my omega like that?” Charlie stiffened as soon as the words left her mouth, but Mackenzie’s smile made her realize she had made the right choice.

Mike Rousso was known for being an alpha that didn’t take any shit. Omegas wanted him and alphas wanted to be him. At least, that’s what he told people. He was definitely a good looking guy, Charlie certainly couldn’t deny that, but his personality was terrible. The alpha in question finally turned to face her letting go of Mackenzie to do so. Once the omega was released she flew into Charlie’s arms, pressing her nose against her neck, probably trying to erase Rousso’s scent from her memories. Charlie couldn’t help but smell the beautiful omega in her arms as she held her tight. She could smell the omega’s actual scent under a deep layer of Jade’s scent coming from, what she assumed was, Jade’s jacket. Mackenzie was probably the most beautiful and best smelling omega she had ever had the luck to hold in her arms. She had always known the girl was beautiful, anyone with eyes could see that. But she honestly hadn’t expected the omega to smell so good.

“Strange how I didn’t smell you anywhere on your girl, Porter,” he said with his gross trademark smirk. He looked ready to fight for the omega in question which was something Charlie would try very hard to stop from happening. She wasn’t weak by any means but getting hot blooded enough to fight someone was something she’d never experienced.

“Just walk away, Rousso,” she spoke with a voice she hoped sounded tough. Just in case she added some pheromones to the mix, hoping he’d back down. Unfortunately, his smirk never left his face. “C’mon, Porter, don’t make me kick your ass just so I can mate with this omega.” Charlie didn’t back down, though. If anything, she just held the omega in her arms even tighter causing her to hold Charlie tighter as well.

“You know what, never mind, she’s not even worth it. I’ll just grab some other omega. Have fun with her, Porter.” And just like that Rousso was leaving with a laugh after making a suggestive gesture towards them. That seemed almost too easy to Charlie. She didn’t know Mike Rousso that well, but from what she heard he didn’t back down from a fight that easily. Now it was just the two of them standing there alone, holding each other tight. Or so Charlie thought. A growl coming from behind them proved her wrong, though.

“Get your hands off my baby sister, Porter,” Jade growled out causing Charlie to stiffen. Mackenzie lifted her head from Charlie’s neck to quickly look at her sister while still holding tight to Charlie. “Don’t growl at Charlie, she saved me”, the omega explained. Charlie was honestly surprised Mackenzie even knew her name since the only other time they had interacted was the day the omega moved into her dorm. Jade had introduced Mackenzie to everyone that lived in their house, making sure everyone understood that Mackenzie was strictly off limits to every alpha in the house. Did Mackenzie remember all of their names, or was Charlie just special?

Stopping herself from thinking to much into it and possibly getting her hopes up, Charlie also turned to face Jade just in time to see her rolling her eyes. “I’m serious!” Mackenzie exclaimed. She continued to explain what had happened, Jade’s face softening the longer she listened. After the omega had explained what had happened, she stepped away from Charlie to move towards her sister, speaking softly. “Like I said, Charlie saved me so please be nice to her.” Jade opened up her arms to her sister hugging her tight and stroking her curly chestnut hair all while shooting a death glare Charlie’s way. The visible gulp that Jade received in return signifying Charlie’s obvious fear of the older alpha seemed to placate her. Jade placed a soft kiss atop her sister’s head before speaking softly to her beloved sister. “Let’s go back to my room and then I can have Nicole walk back with you to the omega dorms, okay Kenzie?”

Mackenzie looked like she wanted to argue, but instead she agreed with a nod of her head. She turned to look to Charlie one last time with a brief wave goodbye before taking her sister’s hand and following her back to her room.

Charlie was once again left watching the retreating forms of Jade and an omega she loved, a feeling of longing in Charlie's chest. This time was different, though, she didn’t long for just any omega. For the first time in Charlie’s 20 years of life, she had found a specific omega she wanted to love and protect. She would find a way to see Mackenzie again, even if it killed her. 


	2. The Second Sign

The party was still raging on as Charlie lie awake in bed, accepting that sleep wouldn’t be an easy thing to achieve tonight. It wasn’t the party that was keeping her up, though, it was Mackenzie. Everything about her was quickly swirling in the alpha’s mind like a tornado; her beautiful dark brown eyes, her intoxicating smell, their height difference that allowed Charlie to tuck the omega’s head right under her chin, the way her nose felt pressed up against Charlie’s neck, and most importantly, the way her name left the omega’s lips as she defended her. She never wanted anyone but Mackenzie to say her name ever again. She wondered what her full name would sound like coming from the omega. She closed her eyes, creating Mackenzie’s voice in her mind whispering softly, _Charlotte_ , filled with so much love and adoration. The way Nicole sounded whenever she spoke of Jade.

Charlie was beginning to finally doze off listening to Mackenzie’s voice in her mind with a soft smile on her face when her phone started to buzz next to her head. She rolled over, squinting at the bright screen. It started off as one text and then another buzz signifying a second text. Charlie reached over to the nightstand, grabbing her glasses. Another buzz sounded by the time she looked at her phone again. Clearly someone had a lot to tell her.

An unsaved number stared back at her, along with a message that left her confused.

_Hi : )_

Charlie unlocked her phone to see more, curious as to who this person was and why they were texting her at almost two in the morning.

_I wanted to thank you for saving me today from that alpha at the party. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t happened to walk by._

Charlie was frozen in place, rereading the second message over and over again. It was now incredibly obvious who this unsaved number belonged to. The alpha’s face broke into a huge smile as she quickly sat up, ready to read the last text from Mackenzie.

_I was hoping we could get coffee after classes on Monday? I’d really like to see you again._

She didn’t think her smile could get any bigger, but here she was, smiling even harder. Charlie flopped back onto her bed, rolling back and forth with glee. Mackenzie wanted to see her too! She felt another buzz in her hand, bringing her back to the present. She had to text her back! She quickly read the new message, excited to respond back.

_This is Mackenzie Harkins by the way. Sorry for texting so late, you’re probably already sleeping._

Charlie laughed aloud at this text. How could she sleep when a beautiful omega was all she could think about? She quickly typed out her reply, rewriting it at least 5 times, before finally hitting send.

_Hey :D! I’d love to get coffee on Monday. I’ve been thinking about you all night._

Did Charlie regret that last sentence when she sent it? Nope. Did she regret it now after waiting half an hour for a reply? Definitely. Maybe she misinterpreted why the omega wanted to get coffee with her, though she really believed saying you wanted to see someone had some rather romantic implications.

This wouldn’t be the first time she read the signs incorrectly when it came to omegas, though. Like the time she kissed Nicole because she thought the omega was leaning in to kiss her. She didn’t even want to kiss Nicole, but she was afraid to hurt the omega’s feelings. Turns out she was just trying to look at something behind Charlie, but the alpha freaked out and connected their lips. They still laugh about it to this day.

Charlie looked down at the buzzing phone in her hand, Nicole completely forgotten.

_You’re all I’ve been thinking about for months._

The alpha stared down at her phone, completely dumbstruck. What did that even mean? Was Mackenzie saying that she hasn’t stopped thinking about her since they met at the beginning of the semester? They hardly interacted! Of course, now that Charlie really thought about it, the omega had been on her mind a lot since they met. Honestly, this all seemed too good to be true for the alpha. Instead of commenting on the omega’s last text, Charlie texted back some times she would be available to meet up on Monday. After their plans were finalized, Charlie moved her phone back to her nightstand, too excited to fall asleep. It was just one day. She just had to get through Sunday and she could see Mackenzie again.

 

* * *

 

“Are you even listening to me?” Nicole asked angrily as she looked at Charlie, the alpha clearly not paying attention to anything the omega had just said. Charlie’s eyes snapped up to her friends, remorse written all over her face. “I’m sorry, Nic. I’m just really tired.” To prove her point, a large yawn hit Charlie at that moment. Nicole still looked skeptical. “Why are you so tired? Thinking about a certain omega?” Charlie’s red face was all the confirmation Nicole needed. Charlie played with her braid, her strawberry tinted hair a lighter shade of red than her face at the moment. “She texted me last night,” Charlie whispered. She was honestly still in shock that the omega had texted her. Looking at Nicole’s smug, and completely unsurprised, face confused the alpha. All the pieces started to come together now. Nicole must have given Mackenzie her number when she walked the younger omega home the night before.

“Thanks, Nic, I really owe you one. We’re getting coffee tomorrow because of you.” Charlie’s smile was infectious as Nicole found herself smiling and staring at her best friend looking happier than she’s been in a long time. “She wouldn’t stop talking about you on the way home. I gave her your number just to shut her up. She didn’t seem surprised to find out we grew up together, though.” Charlie furrowed her brow at this new information. Nicole continued, “I can’t believe this girl is still crazy about you even with all of the shit Jade has probably said about you to her.” Charlie knew her friend was joking, but she really didn’t like to think about the fact that the older alpha hated her. Jade hadn’t always hated her, though.

When she first moved into the house freshman year their relationship was professional and easy-going on and off the court. It wasn’t until sophomore year that things started to get a little worse off the court. It was almost as if the older alpha didn’t want to see Charlie unless she absolutely _had_ to. This was probably why their dynamic on the court hadn’t changed at all. And now junior year had only gotten worse. Charlie just couldn’t figure it out and neither could Nicole. Her friend had even asked a few times, but the discussions never ended that well.

Nicole broke the silence, “I’m really sorry Charlie. I wish I knew why.” Charlie shrugged in her chair, looking across her room to her friend laying on the alpha’s bed. “She makes you happy and that’s all that matters to me.” Nicole nodded in response, not fully believing her friend. Charlie was telling the truth, though. Anyone with eyes could see how happy Jade made Nicole and vice versa. The two complimented each other so well. A pang of jealousy hit Charlie before she rapidly pushed that bubbling feeling away. It wasn’t time to feel sorry for herself. She was here with her best friend talking about the cute omega she was going to get to see tomorrow.

And just like that they continued to talk about Mackenzie. Charlie showed Nicole all the texts they had exchanged the night before and next thing they knew it was time for dinner. Nicole and Jade ate dinner together every Sunday night so Charlie was confused as to why Nicole hadn’t left yet. “I’ll let you know if Jade says anything tonight about the texts you exchanged with Kenzie last night.” Charlie looked at her friend, clearly confused. Nicole further clarified, “Kenzie tells Jade everything so I’d be surprised if she didn’t show her the texts.”

 It felt like a bucket of ice cold water had been thrown on Charlie. She knew the two were close, but she didn’t know they were _that_ close. Charlie now regretted even more telling the younger omega she couldn’t stop thinking about her.

Jade was going to murder her.

 

* * *

 

Charlie couldn’t remember the last time she had such a difficult time picking out what to wear. She came back to her room after her last class, hoping to change quickly into something other than sweatpants before her date with Mackenzie. Was it a date? That didn’t matter right now. Charlie needed to focus all of her energy on picking out a decent outfit. She only had 20 minutes to put on new clothes and walk back to the campus café. That would be plenty of time if she just picked something out already. She scanned her closet one more time before just grabbing a nice pair of khakis and a cute navy sweater.

This all would have been so much easier if Nicole was there to help. She had asked the omega to come over and help, but Nicole could feel the beginning waves of her heat coming on so she opted to just stay in her cocoon of Jade’s clothing in the older alpha’s room instead. Charlie tried to argue that her room was only a short walk from Jade’s but the omega wouldn’t budge. Charlie had never actually been anywhere near an omega in heat her whole life so she really had no idea what her friend was going through. Both her parents were betas and she was an only child. She always thought she’d stumble upon Nicole at least once while she was in heat, but Nicole’s mother had forbade her from being anywhere near the omega when her heat was close and now Jade did basically the same thing. Jade never outright told her not to come around, but she had no interest in hanging out when she knew exactly what they would be doing for the few days Nicole was in heat.

Charlie ran down the stairs in a hurry to get across campus and out of this house undetected by Jade. Thankfully, Nicole’s preliminary heat would most likely keep her in her room. Luck was clearly not on her side as she saw Jade standing in her doorway talking with the team’s co-captain, Sasha. They were pretty close, possibly the only person that could be considered a friend of Jade’s. As quietly as she could, Charlie tried to walk past her door undetected. She almost made it until she heard another teammate yell out to her, “Hey, Porter, looking good!”

Charlie and Jade made eye contact immediately, the older alpha’s brow furrowed.

“Where are you going all dressed up, Porter?”

Charlie really did have the worst luck.  Maybe if she didn’t wear sweats at all times people wouldn’t be so surprised to see her dressed up.

“Sweetie, please come back to bed. It’s so cold without you.” Nicole whined from inside Jade’s room. Jade’s face softened in an instant. “I gave you three of my blankets!” The older alpha chuckled. Her face hardened again as she looked at Charlie. She didn’t say anything, though, and closed her door after promising Sasha they would continue their conversation later.

Maybe Charlie’s luck wasn’t so bad after all. She quickly checked the buzzing phone in her pocket.

_Now you owe me double :P_

Charlie laughed at the text from her friend. She certainly was lucky to have a friend as great as Nicole.

 

* * *

 

Charlie ran into the café completely out of breath, looking down at her watch. Six minutes late. Of course. She quickly scanned the crowded area, searching for familiar curly brown hair. “Over here, Charlie,” the brunette called out to her. Charlie moved over to the couch area where Mackenzie was sitting. All the other couches and chairs were taken, leaving only the open spot next to the omega on the loveseat. How was Charlie supposed to behave like a normal person and have a normal conversation when she would be sitting so close to the omega? She could do this. All she was doing was having coffee and conversation with an incredibly beautiful woman that she wanted to hold in her arms at all time. No problem.

“Sorry I’m late!” Charlie apologized when she was close enough that she wouldn’t have to shout. Mackenzie just shook her head, a smile on her face as she stood up and approached the alpha. “That’s okay, I actually just got here.” Charlie assumed that was a lie, but she didn’t have much time to think about anything as the omega stepped even closer to hug her hello. The alpha stood there awkward and stiff for what felt like forever. Finally her brain turned back on and she wrapped both arms around the omega, taking in her rich scent. Now that she had time to really think unlike Saturday night, she realized the omega smelled even more perfect than she original thought. Her scent was fresh and calm, like returning home after a long journey.

They stood there wrapped up in each other’s arms for what felt like hours but was actually only a few seconds. Charlie was the first to pull away, filled with glee when the omega tightened her grip before slowly backing away. “I’m so happy you agreed to get coffee.” Mackenzie was beaming at her, her smile infectious. “Of course, I was so happy you texted me.” She looked down at the table to see the omega didn’t have a coffee yet. “I’ll go get us some coffee.” After a nod from Mackenzie, Charlie walked over to order them two small coffees. On her way back she grabbed a handful of cream and sugar packets. “Cream and sugar?” The alpha asked as she placed some packets along with her drink in front of the omega. “I actually take it black.” Mackenzie admitted with a smirk as she watched Charlie pour the cream and sugar into her coffee. It was so light it didn’t even look like coffee anymore and the alpha didn’t look the least bit embarrassed by that fact. “I would rather die than drink black coffee,” Charlie joked, the omega rolling her eyes at the other girl’s dramatics.

The conversation flowed easily after that, they talked about anything from classes to embarrassing stories from their childhoods.  Mackenzie had just finished a story about the time her sister had made an alpha boy cry just for trying to talk to the young omega when Charlie blurted out, “I assumed that would happen to me today!” Mackenzie only looked confused, though, which in turn confused Charlie. “Well it’s no secret your sister hates me so when she saw me heading out to meet up with you I just assumed she’d try to beat me up or something.” She explained with a chuckle. This explanation seemed to confuse the omega even more. “My sister doesn’t hate you,” she responded. Now Charlie was the confused one. “Obviously you know your sister better than anyone else, but I’m like pretty positive she hates my guts.”

Charlie really didn’t want to argue with the omega, especially when they were just having such a lovely conversation, but how could the omega pretend like her sister didn’t hate her? Was she trying to make her feel better about the situation with a lie? None of this made sense and Mackenzie just looked even more confused. “Why do you think J hates you?”

Charlie was learning a lot today. The first was that Mackenzie looked absolutely adorable with her brow furrowed. The second was that apparently the older Harkins sister went by not only ‘sweetie’ but also ‘J’. Who knew the tough alpha had nicknames? The third was that talking to this adorable omega about her sister was something Charlie really didn’t enjoy that much.

“It’s not like she’s ever come outright and said, ‘Hey, Porter, I hate your guts!’, but it’s the little things like how she hates to be in the same room as me or how she stares at me in anger whenever we _are_ in the same room. Oh, right, and also how she basically tells Nic all the time about how much she hates me.” Charlie chuckled, trying to alleviate some of the tension. “That’s why I was so surprised when she didn’t threaten me in any way when I was on my way to see you. Especially since she probably didn’t like those texts we sent to each other.” The alpha shrugged after she was done speaking. “But anyway let’s get back to something el-“ “Did you show my sister our texts?” Charlie was surprised that the soft spoken omega had cut her off. “No? I just assumed you did. Nic said you two share everything with each other.”

Mackenzie sat up straighter with a huff. “I don’t understand why you seem to think you’re the only thing me and my sister could possibly talk about when we’re together.”

“That’s not what I was trying to say at all.” Charlie was quick to disagree. This wasn’t going how it was supposed to.

“That’s fine, but to set the record straight, I haven’t spoken about you to my sister and she never speaks about you when we’re together. I haven’t seen any of this ‘obvious hatred’, but I believe you.”

The air quotes Mackenzie used sort of made Charlie think she was lying, but she really didn’t want to talk about this anymore. She tried to change the subject again, but was cut off a second time.

“I should really get going, I have a lot of homework I need to be doing.” Mackenzie stood as she spoke, leaving no room for argument. Charlie hung her head, disappointed in herself for ruining the afternoon for both of them. Everything was going terribly, but she really wanted to salvage this budding relationship or whatever it was.

“I’m sorry.” The alpha looked up at the omega, hoping she could see the remorse in her eyes. “Can I at least walk you back to the dorms? I promise I won’t mention your sister once.”

Mackenzie seemed to think it over for a while and then nodded her head, a small smile on her face.

Charlie was quick to jump up, taking both of their empty coffee cups to throw them out. As they stepped out of the café, she made sure to hold the door open with extra flair for the omega, hoping to get a laugh out of it. Thankfully she succeeded, both of them smiling as they started their walk back to the omega dorms.

The walk was only about five minutes and most of it was filled with comfortable silence. When they were about halfway there, Mackenzie reached out towards Charlie and wrapped both her arms around the alpha’s right arm, pulling them closer together. Charlie was on cloud 9.

Once they reached the dorms, the omega untangled herself from Charlie’s arm, taking a step back to look up at the alpha. Before Mackenzie could walk away, Charlie spoke. “Will I see you at the game on Saturday? We’re home this week.” It was a dumb question and both of them knew it. Mackenzie was at every single game, home or away, ready to cheer her sister on so of course she’d be at the next one.

“I’ll be there with two signs this week.” Mackenzie admitted shyly, tucking a few curly strands behind her ear before pushing up on her tippy toes to place a small kiss on Charlie’s cheek.

Charlie didn’t really understand why she would have two signs but she didn’t care as she felt those lips pressed up against her cheek. She tried to play it off cool, but she could feel her face heating up. “Alright, that’s cool. I’ll see you there.” Charlie quickly turned to walk home, hoping she didn’t look as lame as she felt in that moment.

 

* * *

 

It wasn’t until she reached her house that she realized what Mackenzie had meant. She burst into the living room ready to tell the first person she saw, or half the team sitting on the couch, the good news. “A cute girl is making me a sign for our game on Saturday!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the kind words, kudos, bookmarks, and subscriptions. I was so excited to finish this chapter because of all of you! Don't get used to new chapters in less than a week, though ;)
> 
> Also, I'm thinking about maybe writing a little smutty one-shot of Nicole's heat that was referenced in this chapter. Let me know if any of y'all would be interested in reading it!


	3. The New Attitude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You all can hit me up on my tumblr @catstealers for any character only related questions and @catstealersfics for any story related questions :D

As Charlie rushed into the room yelling about cute omegas, everyone in the living room erupted in applause. She received many high fives and pats on the back as she made her way to her bedroom. It was only Monday and this week was already one of the best weeks of her life. She just had to get through five days and then she would see Mackenzie again. She really wanted to text the omega before Saturday, but she didn’t want to appear too needy. Hopefully the omega would message her.

Charlie set to work on some homework due at the end of the week, trying to get a decent amount done before basketball practice. She was able to get halfway done with a paper due Friday before she had to change and eat some dinner.

She ate a small dinner with her teammates and then they all left the house together to get to the gym. Every Tuesday was cardio day which most of the team hated. They would practice regularly for two hours with shooting drills, defensive drills, and a small scrimmage. Then after that hour they would go for a five mile run at everyone’s own pace. The faster you finished, the faster you went home. Charlie and Jade were always the ones racing to be finished first, but with Nicole’s heat at its worst day today, there was no competition in sight.

Upon arrival, Charlie let their coaches know that Nicole was in heat, just in case Jade hadn’t let them know the day before. A great thing about this school was its mated heat policy. All omegas were encouraged to skip all classes and extra-curricular activities during their heats. If the omega was mated, then their mate was also given those days off as well. Most coaches tracked their omegas’ cycles and the cycles of other player’s mates so they would know ahead of time when players wouldn’t be available.

The first hour of practice was a breeze; as a shooting guard, Charlie excelled at shooting and defensive drills. The scrimmage was a fun time, though, as it always is. Charlie wound up scoring most of the points as she usually did, receiving high-fives all around from her teammates.

When it came time for the run, Charlie decided to pace herself since her main competition wasn’t present. She finished along with a group of teammates since they all ran together, chatting throughout. It felt nice to go at a normal pace along with her team instead of so far ahead of them.

 

* * *

 

Charlie missed Nicole. It was Wednesday and Charlie hadn’t seen her best friend since Sunday. Generally, Nicole’s heat lasted 3 days total with the middle day being the most intense. Since today was the third day, Charlie felt pretty confident that she could see her friend. After classes had ended for the day, Charlie stopped to meet with some of Nicole’s professors to pick up any papers or assignments to deliver to her friend so she could be prepared when she actually left Jade’s bed the next day.

Charlie placed her backpack next to her desk and gathered all of the papers to give to Nicole. She was about to knock on Jade’s door when she heard her name mentioned. Charlie wasn’t generally one to pry, but maybe now she would finally get some answers with regards to Jade’s feelings towards her. They weren’t talking that loudly so it was hard for Charlie to hear and she certainly wasn’t about to press her ear up against the door. That would be so embarrassing if someone walked by. Instead, she leaned against the wall nonchalantly, at least Charlie thought she looked nonchalant, and tried to listen as best she could.

“How about instead of talking about Porter we go back to kissing? That sounds like a much better idea.”

So they _were_ talking about her! Did this mean that Nicole had brought her up in conversation? She couldn’t hear Nicole’s reply, but she was able to hear Jade again.

“Call me crazy, but I’m not exactly too pleased that my mate is thinking about another alpha while we’re kissing.”

Charlie almost laughed, but held it in so as to not announce her presence. Was Jade jealous of her?

“Oh my god, are you jealous of Charlie?”

Apparently her friend had been thinking the same thing. What was there to be jealous of? Besides that one dumb kiss in middle school they had never had any sort of romantic entanglement. Sure they were close, but if anyone should be jealous of anyone it should be Charlie to Jade. Jade was the one that took her best friend from her not the other way around.

There was a pregnant pause where either no one was talking, or they were speaking too quietly for Charlie to hear. Finally Jade spoke.

“I’m not jealous of Porter. I just wish the two most important people in my life wouldn’t always bring her up all the time. I’m just kind of tired of hearing about how much you both love her and how great she is. Thankfully Mackenzie stopped after a few weeks in the beginning of the semester, I couldn’t take it coming from both of you.”

Charlie was completely shocked for so many reasons. She definitely wasn’t that smart, but it really sounded like Jade was in fact jealous. Jealous of _her_! If this was true it would make so much sense; why she never wanted to see Charlie around outside of basketball, why she shut down whenever Nic tried to bring her up in conversation, and why she literally hated to be in the same room as her.

Another shocking statement: apparently Mackenzie spoke about her a lot after they met. What had happened that made the omega stop talking about her, though? Did Jade say something to her?

Nicole speaking brought Charlie back to the moment.

“Babe, she’s my best friend of course I’m going to talk about her. But you need to remember that I love _you_. You’re my _mate_ , J! I’m only 20 and I let you bite and claim me because that’s how much I love you! Not only that, but you know how much I’ve given up to be with you, so don’t you dare for a second compare yourself at all to Charlie.”

Charlie grew concerned as she heard her soft-spoken friend begin to raise her voice. Nicole never liked to yell, she viewed it as a waste of energy.

“I’m not going to choose between the two of you like I had to do with my parents. She’s always going to be in my life and so are you so you better just accept her now.”

A small hiccup could be heard from inside, signifying Nicole had started crying. It wasn’t a well-known fact, but those close to Nicole knew that crying brought on panic attacks for the girl. Charlie considered busting into Jade’s room to calm her friend; she was sort of a pro when it came to Nicole’s panic attacks.

“Baby? Baby, I’m sorry, please look at me. There you go look right into my eyes. Okay, now feel my heartbeat. You’re doing so great right now, I love you. Feel the rhythm and breathe with me okay? In…and out. Good let’s do that again. In…and out.”

This continued for a few more minutes before Jade spoke again.

“I’m so proud of you I love you so much.”

Nicole had never calmed that quickly before and Charlie was amazed. Maybe Jade was also a pro when it came to Nicole. Just further proof that the other alpha was a great mate for Nicole.

 

* * *

 

When they had started dating, Charlie was so excited for her friend. Jade was scary around everyone else, but always so soft and caring when it came to Nicole. Charlie had just assumed that she was faking it to keep Nicole in her bed, and thankfully she was wrong. Jade still acted the same way with Nicole two years later.

Their mating had been an accident. It was a particularly bad heat for Nicole which ended in Jade marking her; both completely unprepared for it to happen. Charlie would always remember how Nicole had come to her crying right after her heat was over. Charlie had held her friend as she explained all of her fears, the two biggest being her deeply conservative parents and Jade’s distance after it happened.

Nicole’s parents were very traditional people. They believed in things like unmated omegas suffering through their heats alone, alpha/omega and beta/beta relationships only, and the old traditions of alpha courting. If Nicole hadn’t gotten a full ride to this school, she probably wouldn’t have been allowed to even go.

Once Nicole had gotten that taste of freedom, though, she really took off. It was at a basketball party that Nicole and Jade had met, both falling into bed together. Charlie was definitely shocked when her best friend told her the news the next morning, but she was very supportive of her friend. Nicole spent the whole morning talking about how great the alpha was that she had slept with and how excited she was to hopefully see her again.

They continued a no-strings attached type relationship for about a month before Jade admitted that she wanted to take the omega out on a date. And they had been together ever since. They were actually approaching their two year anniversary soon.

Their accidental mating had happened right before summer break sophomore year and it had taken both of them by surprise. As Nicole was crying in Charlie’s arms, she told her friend about how distant Jade had been after she bit her, not even looking her in the eyes. Neither spoke as they redressed, the tension so thick it could be cut with a knife. The morning after, Jade hadn’t even said a word as Nicole left in tears.

The alpha in Charlie wanted to kill Jade. Not only did she mark her best friend without permission, but then she just ignored her. Instead of letting her alpha win out, though, Charlie recommended they take a few days and then talk to figure things out.

Days late, Nicole sat Charlie down to tell her about her talk with Jade. Apparently Jade had been terrified that Nicole would hate her afterwards. That she regretted biting her without permission, but she didn’t regret the idea of marking her. Then Nicole admitted that she had been keeping their relationship a secret from her parents and how scared she was to go home for summer with an alpha’s claiming mark on her neck.

The way Nicole looked as she told Charlie that they had exchanged bites that night made all the fight drain from Charlie’s body. There was so much love in Nicole’s eyes.

Charlie never got to know the specifics, but it didn’t end well for Nicole when her and Jade told the omega’s parents. They had gone together at the beginning of summer break to tell them, but their happy bubble exploded right when Nicole’s mother saw the bite mark on her daughter’s neck.

Nicole spent the whole rest of the summer with Jade and she planned to go to Jade’s for Thanksgiving as well. She’s pretty sure Nicole’s mother gave her an ultimatum; Jade or her family. Nicole chose her mate.

 

* * *

 

Charlie decided to just head back to her room instead of disrupting their moment. She felt a little guilty now for eavesdropping that whole time. She wasn’t normally that nosey, but at least she learned why Jade didn’t like her that much. Hopefully things would be better for them now.

She still had to deliver the papers to her friend, though. At this point, they probably started having sex again, so Charlie would try again at dinner. It was Nicole’s last day so she probably planned to leave the room to eat anyway.

After doing some homework, Charlie ventured back out of her room to make herself some food. The only two people in the kitchen were Jade and Nicole. She quickly turned around and ran back to her room to get the papers for her friend.

“Hey guys!” Charlie announced herself to the two mates.

“Hi, Charlie, I missed you.” Nicole admitted to her friend. Charlie wondered if the omega had only said that to get a rise out of Jade or if it was genuine.

“Hey, Porter.” Jade grumbled. Well, it was a start at least.

She greeted Jade in return, heading towards the fridge.

“I have some assignments for you, Nic. I picked them up after class today. I figured you’d want to read through them before class tomorrow.”

Nicole thanked her and looked through the papers as she sighed.

“What a terrible time to miss class.”

She turned to Jade with an apologetic look on her face.

“I’m sorry, Babe, but this is a lot of work I have to make up. I should probably go back to my dorm to stay focused.” Nicole laughed as she stood up, she knew she wouldn’t get anything done in the alpha’s room.

“Are you calling me a distraction?” Jade joked.

“The very best kind.” Nicole flirted, leaning down to kiss her mate on the lips. It looked as if Jade was going to reconnect their lips to kiss again, but Charlie cleared her throat. She had no interest in hearing them make out behind her.

Nicole laughed at her friend and gave her mate one more peck on her head. They whispered soft ‘I love yous’ and then Nicole was out the door, leaving the two alphas alone.

“You better hurry up and eat and change, we have to leave for practice soon.” Jade informed the other alpha as she finished her food. Once she was done eating, she deposited her dishes in the dishwasher and left to her room.

Charlie didn’t know what this new attitude was towards her, but she liked it a lot more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little shorter this time, but a lot of backstory here. There's still a lot more to learn about Jade, so get excited for that ;)  
> Next chapter will be the game!


	4. The Fast Freshman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait on this chapter. Good news for y'all is that it's double the size of my normal chapters. Honestly, this one just got away from me because I love basketball and also Jade a whole lot.

The rest of the week went really well for Charlie.

It seemed as though Jade was trying her hardest to be nice to her, which was great. The team was pretty confused by Jade’s change of heart, but Charlie was happy to see it finally change. Maybe now she wouldn’t kill her after Saturday night when she saw Mackenzie holding signs for both alphas.

Charlie and Mackenzie had been texting every single day, just little things like how much homework they had or how their classes went. The conversations weren’t anything revolutionary, but Charlie loved to be talking to the other girl every single day.

Unsurprisingly, Charlie caved on Wednesday and texted the omega to ask how her day was. After that, the person that initiated the conversation varied.

Charlie also got to hang out with her best friend a lot during the week. Charlie and Nicole didn’t have any classes together, but Nicole still made sure to come to her room every afternoon to help the alpha with homework.

Charlie wasn’t exactly that smart, but she was one hell of a basketball player. The only reason she got into this school was because of her shooting percentage. Nicole could have easily went to an Ivy League school, but this was one that Charlie was able to get into and they offered both girls a full ride so they chose this school together.

Charlie would always be thankful for Nicole. She always helped her with her classes, she went to every single one of her basketball games, and now she was helping her with Mackenzie. They were going to go to the game together and Charlie was super excited to show off on Saturday for both omegas.

 

* * *

 

The locker room was alive with chatter as the team got ready for their game. Charlie looked over to the freshmen talking loudly in their corner with a grimace. She didn’t have to look at Jade to know she was doing the same thing. They both had very silent pre-game rituals that were almost impossible to conduct with the underclassmen’s excited chattering.

Charlie was about to try and zone them out when she felt a presence right behind her, a soft whisper in her ear. “Wanna go somewhere more private?” The husky voice of her captain asked.

Charlie turned to the other alpha confused. Jade shifted her eyes towards the freshmen, the silent communication helping Charlie understand. Instead of answering she stood up following behind Jade.

The two wound up sitting in the cold and broken sauna right next to the locker room. Without a word or second glance at Charlie, Jade sat cross legged on the bench and closed her eyes.

Charlie sat on the bench on the other side, almost mirroring Jade’s position. She took out her phone and watched the clips she had saved of The Panthers with the sound off. She memorized the patterns of the defenders, looking for as many holes as she could find in their defense.

“They won’t be playing zone tonight.”

Charlie looked up at Jade, surprised to hear the girl speak. The other girl’s eyes were still closed so Charlie didn’t know if she was looking for a conversation or not but she chanced it anyway.

“Our team’s too fast, they’d be dumb to go man.” Charlie felt silly looking and talking to Jade while the girl looked as if she were meditating and her chuckle at Charlie’s response made her feel even sillier.

“I didn’t say they’d be playing man either.” Jade’s eyes were open now, staring right at the girl across from her. Charlie tried not to let the sharp gaze affect her, but her body shuddered slightly against her will. Before Charlie could ask how a team could play neither of the two defenses Jade spoke again.

“They’re going to do a combination of both. More likely than not, a 1-3 stack with a player heavily guarding you.”

Jade’s dramatics were starting to annoy Charlie which was probably pretty hypocritical of her. She wasn’t making any sense, though. The Panthers were a team of big girls; they were tall and stocky, making any sort of inner offense almost impossible. They weren’t particularly fast.

“There’s no one on that team that could catch up with me. I’ve been watching all of their videos.”

Charlie didn’t mean to sound cocky, but she knew she was fast. Not many could catch up with her. In all of the videos she had watched, she hadn’t seen a single player move relatively quickly on that court.

“I got word that they have a new freshman on their team. A late try-out. She’s fast, maybe even fast enough to keep up with you.”

Jade’s smile was almost friendly, but mainly it was challenging. She wanted Charlie to prove her wrong, and that’s exactly what Charlie would do.

 

* * *

 

Charlie was hardly paying attention to her stretches as she scanned the crowd for Mackenzie. Searching for the girl was too difficult; the stadium was filled with thousands of people making it impossible for Charlie to see or even smell the younger omega.

She knew Mackenzie was coming to the game, the girl had said so on Monday and again last night when they were texting. She considered texting the omega to ask her where she was sitting, but her team probably wouldn’t appreciate that too much.

“Porter!” A teammate yelled to her to get her attention. She looked away from the bleachers to see her whole team was huddled around their coaches on the sidelines. She quickly jumped to her feet and jogged over to her team. She tried really hard to play it cool as if she wasn’t just sitting in the middle of an empty court thinking about a pretty girl.

“Nice to see you ready to play, Porter.” Her coach grumbled, clearly aggravated with her lack of attention. A few teammates looked at her confused. This was so unlike her and the negative attention made her want to dig a hole and bury herself in it for a few days.

“Porter’s just psyched out because of The Panthers’ new pick up.” Jade said to their coach with a cocky smile that enraged Charlie. She almost let a growl slip past her lips, but now wasn’t the time for that. If the head coach picked up on any tension, he chose to ignore it and continue on.

They had a few minutes before they began their actual warm up drills so a few players stepped up to the Family Box where family and mates could sit. The box was the first few rows on the opposite side of the players’ benches. It was a good way for family to see the players without being close enough for the players to hear them.

Charlie hadn’t even thought of the box, of course Mackenzie would be sitting there. Somehow Charlie was able to erase from her mind for a few minutes that the omega she was courting wasn’t Jade’s younger sister.

Charlie looked over to see Jade speaking with both Nicole and Mackenzie. She wanted to go over there too, but she didn’t want to ruin the improvement to Jade’s attitude towards her.

She was fully prepared to turn around but just like at the party Mackenzie’s eyes met hers and she knew there was no turning back now, especially when the omega looked so happy to see her.

Charlie approached slowly, giving Jade enough time to turn around, see her, and put a fake smile on her face.

“Nice of you to join us, Porter.” Charlie almost laughed at the pained expression on the other alpha’s face. Apparently Nicole didn’t find it as funny, sneakily pinching her mate’s waist, causing the older girl to yelp. This time Charlie did laugh.

“Of course. I wouldn’t want to miss the opportunity to talk to my two favorite omegas before the big game.” The younger alpha smirked at Jade, knowing the sort of reaction this would produce.

Surprisingly she didn’t get any reaction from Jade, the girl seemed to be in another world just staring at the two signs on the seat next to her sister. The one on top was Jade’s, but a tiny bit of the bottom one peaked out showing the number 14. Charlie’s number.

Jade’s eyes were filled with fire as she glared at Charlie, a low growl sounding from her chest. This was it, the moment Charlie died. She was too young to die, she’d never even seen a real life boob in the flesh!

“We’re going to talk about this later.” Jade said to her sister, the fire still in her eyes. Mackenzie rolled her eyes back at her sister, surprising Charlie. “I’m hanging out with Charlie after the game.”

This also surprised Charlie since they hadn’t spoken about hanging out after the game. She was definitely happy about it, though. Jade took one look at Charlie’s big smile and growled softly. It looked as though Jade was going to speak again, but they were all saved by the coach calling them over.

Charlie scanned the emotions of everyone involved: Jade looked absolutely pissed, Nicole looked somewhat sad, and Mackenzie looked almost bored.

There was definitely something deeper to the relationship between the Harkins sisters, but Charlie didn’t really know if she wanted to learn more or not. Obviously she was curious, but Jade was super scary.

 

* * *

 

The game was going fine in the beginning. They had a 10 point lead and most of those points were from Charlie. Just as Charlie had seen from their videos, The Panthers had a strong inside defense but they left the arc wide open. Charlie was hardly contested as she took her shots.

Jade must have been full of shit when she mentioned a new freshman. It was just another way to get under her skin. But then again, their coach didn’t seem too surprised when Jade had mentioned this imaginary freshman so maybe she did exist?

The first quarter was halfway over and the score was 11-2. Their coaches had acted all week as if this was going to be a tough game, but it was probably the easiest one of the season so far.

 

* * *

 

The rest of the quarter went much the same. Their defense was tight and their offense was mainly jump shots. When you have one of the best shooters in the league, a defense like The Panthers’ could never prevail. The score after the first quarter was 23-10.

Everyone took their seats on the bench for the 5 minute break in between quarters. Charlie looked over towards The Panthers’ bench to see their coach yelling at one of the players. The girl didn’t look familiar at all to Charlie. She was pretty short compared to the rest of the team so she must just sit on the bench. But why would their coach be yelling at someone that wasn’t even in the game?

Jade snuck up behind her and whispered in her ear. “Hope you’re ready.” Charlie looked up at the older alpha about to ask what she was talking about, but the whistle cut her off, signaling the start of the second quarter.

 

* * *

 

Charlie was confident that the second quarter would be much like the first. The Panthers started with the ball, passing it around for a while before a player attempted to break through for a lay-up. Unsurprisingly the player was stopped by Jade’s almost impeccable defense.

Once Charlie was sure the ball was in Jade’s hands, she sprinted down the court ready for an easy two points. No one on their team was fast enough to catch up with her so there was no need to sprint at full speed.

She received the long pass from Jade and dribbled down uncontested to the net. She went up for the lay-up in a fluid motion, but next thing she knew she was face down on the ground, the air knocked out of her lungs momentarily.

A few teammates helped her up, patting her back and asking if she was ok. Charlie really couldn’t hear what they were saying, though. She only had eyes for the small alpha girl being yelled at by her coach; the one that had just fouled her. The same girl that was being yelled at by her coach before the quarter started.  

The girl ran up to Charlie, smiling at her as if they were friends. “Wow my coach sure was right, you are fast!” Charlie forced a smile back. “Yeah, I’m actually the fastest in the league.” And she was damn proud of that fact.

The other girl laughed as if she and Charlie were just joking around. “Not for long.” She sing-songed as she moved to her position for Charlie’s free-throws.

All Charlie could see was rage. She stepped up to the lines and tried to calm down before taking her shot. She lined up, took a deep breath, and let the ball fly through the air.

To almost everyone’s shock, the first shot missed. It actually wasn’t even that close.

Of course Charlie had missed before, she wasn’t perfect, but never that poorly. She looked down at her hands, seeing them shake slightly with rage. She was about to look back at the freshman behind her but Jade stopped her with two hands placed gently on her shoulders. “Look into my eyes, Porter.” The gentle tone used towards her sounded ridiculous to Charlie and if they were in a different situation she would have laughed.

She did as Jade said and looked up at the other alpha. “Don’t you dare let her psyche you out after just one foul. You’re better than that.” It was odd being comforted by Jade. Charlie kind of liked it, actually. Her voice was soft, but strong. Like a gentle caress but also a push in the right direction.

She was right, Charlie was better than this. She nodded her head, signaling she heard Jade. Jade patted her shoulders and stepped back to the line.

Charlie chanced a glance over towards Mackenzie. The girl looked at Charlie, worry written across her face. When their eyes met, the omega gave Charlie a soft smile and a thumbs up. Charlie smiled back and moved into position to take her last shot.

The alpha cleared her mind. All that existed was her, the ball, and the basket. After two deep breaths she took the shot, watching as it went through the net perfectly.

Her teammates all gave her pats on the back as they ran back to set up for defense. Charlie looked over to Mackenzie. The omega had her sign raised, yelling and jumping up and down.

Charlie was going to be fine.

 

* * *

 

By the end of the second quarter, Charlie was anything but fine.

Jade had been right. With the new freshman, Tucker, on the court, The Panthers ran a 1-3 defense with Tucker constantly following Charlie. Her play was sloppy, but the girl was fast.

Any time Charlie would get the ball, Tucker would be there instantly, right in her face, forcing her to pass the ball off.

The team as a whole was doing well. By the end of the second quarter the score was 35-22. Out of the 12 points scored this quarter, Charlie had contributed only 1 point. She may as well have not even been out there.

They were all sitting in their locker room for the 10 minute half-time break as their head coach spoke to them about what went well and what didn’t. When he was done, both he and the assistant coach took Charlie aside to speak with her privately.

“What’s going on out there, Porter?” Her head coach had asked. The only answer he received in return was a small shrug from Charlie. She hated talking to her coaches like this; it made her feel small and inadequate. A deep sigh from her coach forced the girl to look up.

“Harkins says she has a plan but if this keeps up we’re going to take you out for a little while, Porter.”

Charlie visibly deflated at his words. It wasn’t that Charlie hated being taken out of the game, it happened all the time when they had a substantial lead, but the idea of sitting the bench because of her own mistakes really hurt her. She gave her coach a small nod and with a sigh they left her alone in the locker room.

She needed to get out of her own head, get on that court, and show everyone that she was better than this.

Before she could leave, Charlie heard the door to the locker room open. She turned to see it was Nicole who had entered even though she knew full well that only players were allowed in the locker room during a game.  Charlie was still happy to see her, though.

“It’s looking pretty rough out there, Charlie.” Her words were laced with a sort of sympathy that would normally make Charlie angry. If it were anyone else they’d be getting yelled at right now. Nicole was always an exception, though.

“She’s in my head!” Charlie exclaimed as she threw her hands up in the air. “This damn freshman is always there every time I turn around, god she’s so fast. I just don’t know what to do.”

There were angry tears her in eyes that she wiped at furiously. Nicole stayed back, knowing Charlie hated it when people got too close to her at times like this.

“You’re better than her.” The omega whispered. Charlie looked up to see the determination written plainly across Nicole’s face. Before she could argue, her friend continued.

“I’ve been watching you play this sport you love so much for about ten years now. You’re probably the best shooter I’ve ever seen and you’re definitely the fastest person I know. I think this has a lot less to do with some mediocre freshman on the other team and a lot more to do with a certain other freshman I’ve been sitting with all game.”

Charlie’s eyes shot up to look at Nicole, an argument on her lips. She was cut off by her friend yet again, though.

“You don’t need to prove anything to her out there. Charlie, she hasn’t stopped gushing about you since before the game started. Every time you do literally anything she is talking about it. She’s all like, ‘wow, Nic, did you see that shot!’ and ‘She’s so good at passing the ball’. She accidentally let slip earlier how great your arms look in your jersey! I literally thought she was going to get on that court and beat that girl up when she brought you to the ground.”

Nicole was quiet for a while, just looking at Charlie with a big smile on her face.

“Just go out there and have fun.”

Charlie couldn’t think of a single thing to say as so many thoughts ran through her mind. She definitely didn’t deserve a friend as great as Nicole, that was for sure. But most of her thoughts revolved around Mackenzie. Maybe she had been too caught up in playing a perfect game for the other girl. Of course she wanted to show off for her! But Nicole was right. Damn, she was always right.

Instead of saying anything, Charlie shuffled toward her friend to give her a big sweaty hug. “Thanks, Nic.” She whispered in the omega’s neck, squeezing her tight. Nicole awkwardly pat her back, hating being that close to her sweaty friend.

Charlie just laughed it off. She jumped up and down a few times, getting ready to get back out on the court. As she was running out of the locker room, Nicole spoke one last time.

“Oh by the way, Kenzie told me she had a special surprise for you if you won.”

Charlie quickly whipped her head around. “What does that even mean?” Charlie asked her friend, excited but confused. Nicole chuckled and shrugged, turning to walk out of the locker room.

What the hell was the special surprise?

 

* * *

 

The beginning of the second half had much of the same, Charlie was quick enough to get the ball, but once she did Tucker was all over her forcing her to pass out. The alpha was getting frustrated once again. Where was Jade with her ‘great plan’?

“Speak of the devil.” Charlie muttered as Jade came to stand next to her while waiting for a teammate to shoot two free-throws.

“And she shall appear,” Jade chuckled as she finished the quote for Charlie.

Jade was one of the tallest on the team so she should have been on the line to crash the board, but instead she was back with Charlie. She must have wanted to give her the details of the plan.

Jade leaned in close, but the older alpha took a step to the side, hating to be that close to Jade. Jade rolled her eyes and grabbed Charlie’s jersey, pulling her back closer to her, making Charlie grumble in annoyance. The older alpha chuckled again, this time right next to her ear.

“Don’t dump the ball off so quickly. Hold it and I’ll get her off you.”

Charlie turned her head slightly, not really understanding what Jade was going to do. Before she could ask, both shots had been taken and Jade was running to get into position.

 

* * *

 

Charlie hadn’t even received the ball in the last few plays, which was probably for the best of the team as a whole. With The Panther’s heavy inside defense and lack of shooting from Charlie, the scores were slowly coming closer and closer together.

With just a minute left on the clock for the third quarter, Jade called for them to run ‘flight’ which was Charlie’s favorite play that involved her. They had tried it a few times, but Tucker had stopped it every time. Charlie didn’t understand why this time would be any different, but she was prepared to run it anyway.

She set herself up on the left wing and waited until the point guard reached the designated point on the court before moving into motion. She sprinted past three teammates on the back line, brushing shoulders with each one acting as blockers for any defender trying to follow Charlie.

If Charlie was paying more attention, she would have noticed that Jade had moved right after Charlie passed her.

If Charlie was paying more attention, she would have noticed that Jade was running towards the exact spot Charlie was sprinting towards.

If Charlie was paying more attention, she would have noticed that Tucker was sprinting at her full speed to try to catch up with Charlie before she received the ball.

Problem was, Charlie wasn’t paying attention to anything other than her goal: get into position, get the ball, and shoot.

Charlie did get into position, she did get the ball, and she was about to shoot. Before she could let the ball fly off her fingertips, Jade and Tucker collided right in front of her, both crashing to the floor.

It happened so quickly, Charlie was having trouble understanding it, but her teammate was on the floor so she ran towards her to help her up. Once Jade was up with only a slight limp she looked towards Tucker.

The girl was still on the floor with a few teammates surrounding her. She almost looked like she was going to cry.

A timeout was called so both teams could take a second to reorganize.

Jade limped over to the bench and took a seat. The older alpha was all smiles, but Charlie could see right through her. She was in a lot of pain.

“That limp doesn’t look too good Harkins. We’re going to take you out for the rest of the game. Go to the locker room and get some ice on that and let your mate know you’re okay. She looks like she’s about to run onto the court.”

Everyone laughed at their coach’s joke and looked over towards Nicole. To everyone else, the omega probably looked angry. But Charlie knew her better. Nicole was scared. It wasn’t often Jade was hurt on the court. Actually, Charlie couldn’t remember the last time Jade was knocked off her feet in a game.

A few teammates helped Jade into the locker room as the players got back on the court to play the last 20 seconds of the quarter.

 

* * *

 

Charlie stormed right off the court and into the locker room after the quarter ended. She had scored three points in the last twenty seconds. With Tucker off the court it was a lot easier.

Charlie had one destination in mind: Jade. Once she saw the older alpha, she approached her with a growl.

“You shouldn’t have done that, Jade.”

Jade looked up from the ice on her ankle to smile at Charlie. The cocky smile threw the younger alpha off a little.

“I did exactly what I needed to do to get that girl off of you. You’ll thank me at the end of the game.”

Charlie and Nicole shared glances. The omega was clearly upset that her mate was hurt.

“It wasn’t worth it. You could have really hurt yourself,” Charlie whispered.

Jade laughed at Charlie’s response.

“I didn’t realize you cared about me so much, Porter. Should we be having this conversation in private away from my girlfriend?”

Both Charlie and Nicole rolled their eyes. They both knew too well that Jade wasn’t good at receiving any form of care or love. It took a long time for Nicole to break through Jade’s wall and clearly Charlie would have to work through it as well.

Nicole lightly slapped Jade’s shoulder which just made Jade chuckle.

“Listen, Porter, that pesky freshman is going to think twice before she sprints on top of you now. She’s going to be more cautious in her defense and you need to take advantage of that. I know you _will_ take advantage of it. Go out there and make my sacrifice worth it for me.”

It was always moments like this that reminded Charlie how devoted Jade was to this team and her teammates. It didn’t matter that Jade wasn’t fond Charlie or that she just found out before the game that her little sister was hanging out with the exact girl she didn’t like. When she was on that court everything changed.

Charlie nodded her head, at a loss for anything worthwhile to say. She was going to go out there and prove to both Harkins sisters that she could do this.

“I know now’s not the time, but what’s going on between you and my sister?”

If Charlie didn’t know what to say before, she definitely didn’t know what to say now. She actively knew they would have this conversation eventually, but she really wasn’t expecting it to happen right now. The worst part was how calm Jade looked.

Charlie had played out this exact conversation in her mind all week and each time it ended in an angry Jade trying to kill her. She hadn’t prepared for this scenario at all.

She was going to attempt to stutter through some sort of answer when their coach stomped into the locker room.

“Let’s go, Porter, this isn’t social hour we have a game to play!”

She was saved from Jade by her coach once again. Charlie sure was lucky.

 

* * *

 

Jade had been right. Charlie wasn’t about to admit that to the other alpha any time soon, though. But Tucker was laying off a considerable amount in the last quarter.

It was obvious that she had been hurt, but instead of sitting the rest of the game out like Jade had done she decided to keep going.

Every time Charlie got the ball Tucker would be there a second later than before, giving Charlie plenty of time to set up and shoot.

Every shot Charlie made was just making Tucker more and more angry, though. It started light enough with some slight jersey grabs or bumps, with some warnings from the referees every now and then.

But as Charlie continued to score points the anger got worse.

They were now halfway through the final quarter and it was obvious The Panthers weren’t coming back to win this game.

Sasha passed the ball to Charlie on the far right, a distance Tucker wouldn’t be able to get to from her position. She posted up, ready to shoot, when next thing she knew she was on the ground.

Charlie really needed to pay attention to her surroundings more on the court.

Whistles were blown as Tucker received a technical foul for pushing Charlie onto the ground. As Tucker was forced off the court for the rest of the game, Charlie stood with a smile on her face.

She had won!

She looked over to Jade to see the other alpha also smiling. The smile wasn’t anything like her trademarked smirk or the special smile she reserved for Nicole and Mackenzie. This was a new smile Charlie had never seen before. It wasn’t cocky at all it was just…happy. Their eyes met and Charlie smiled even wider, knowing she had impressed Jade.

 

* * *

 

The game ended with a score of 63-46.

As the players walked off the court, Charlie had glanced over towards Nicole and Mackenzie to see the younger omega talking with exaggerated hand gestures and a huge smile on her face. She was just so cute!

Charlie walked back into the locker room to shower and change before the inevitable party at their house afterwards. For the first time in a long time, Charlie was actually excited for a party after the game.

This one was special, though, because Charlie would be receiving a special surprise from a very special omega.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will finally have some more Charlie x Mackenzie content that I'm sure y'all are looking for ;)


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